Windstream (Nasdaq: WIN) has begun construction on yet another small-scale broadband stimulus project in Protivin, Iowa this week.
Funded through a $17.4 million ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) grant, the project will upgrade Windstream's network with about two miles of fiber and necessary DSLAM and DLC equipment to serve about 30 potential customers.
Looking to develop a set of best practices for larger broadband stimulus projects, the Protivin project, much like those in Georgia and Mississippi, is a task that can be completed in a short time frame.
The Protivin network upgrade is representative of Windstream's initial quick-fire approach, with construction scheduled to be finished this month in order to begin delivering services to customers in October.
Windstream is taking smart steps to work out the potential issues it may see with broadband stimulus projects. However, their slow pace could slow down other broadband construction projects in the northern half of the country, where they'll have to wait until the ground thaws in the spring of next year.
Protivin is only one of several broadband consctruction projects Windstream will be working on throughout the rest of this year and in 2012. After opting out of the first round of stimulus funding, the service provider applied for second round funding and won $181.3 million for projects in 13 states.
For more:
- see the release
- Telecompetitor has this article
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